Airbnb gets more U.S. competition as 9flats snaps up iStopOver

Skift Take

9flats is Airbnb’s prime competitor in Europe and, unlike copy-cat side Wimdu, has some tested travel minds behind the steering wheel. Look for some fun movement in the U.S. as they begin to seriously compete.

— Jason Clampet

As Airbnb continues to ramp up its international expansion, 9flats, which claims to be the leader in Europe, is expanding the other way: Today, the private short-term rentals provider (or Airbnb-clone) has announced the acquisition of North American iStopOver. A move that will see the Berlin-headquartered company get a hub in Toronto and benefit from iStopOver’s customer-base and inventory, bringing 9flats offering to over 100,000 beds globally. Based on that metric, this puts 9flats much closer to its US rival.